The SEC champion Auburn Tigers practiced two hours
in full pads late Wednesday afternoon at the Auburn Athletics Complex practice
fields, preparing for their matchup with top-ranked Florida State in the BCS
championship game.

"We are back on the practice field this week after a week of
finals. Our players are very excited to get out there. We focused on our
younger guys so far, and are trying to keep our older guys fundamentally sound.
We will transition into Florida State later in the week," Coach Gus Malzahn,
the national coach of the year, said. "Overall, I really like their attitude
and a willingness to get better.

"Auburn is blue collar, hard-nosed, physically and
mentally tough. That is who we are and that is how we win football games here.
That is how they have done it for a long time. That is the one thing we
realized that we have to get back. That is what we focused on."

Auburn has a 22-13-2 all-time record in bowl games,
dating back through an appearance in the Bacardi Bowl in Havana, Cuba,
following the 1936 season. The Tigers have won their last five bowl matchups.

Behind 1000-yard rushers Tre Mason and Nick Marshall,
Auburn leads the nation in rushing at 335.7 yards per game, and would be the
first SEC team ever to capture the NCAA team rushing title. The Tigers are one
of just four teams nationally to have had four different players rush for 100
yards in at least one game this season.

Auburn, ranked second in the BCS standings with a 12-1
record, will practice through Saturday before taking a Christmas break. The
Tigers arrive in California December 31. The Vizio BCS National Championship is
Monday, January 6, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. ESPN will televise the 7:30
p.m. Central contest.